This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us today. Here at Connect with Skip, we love to help you know God’s Word better and apply it to your life through clear, practical Bible teaching and real encouragement. And if you’d like to keep growing in your walk with Jesus, sign up for Pastor Skip’s free weekly devotional. You’ll receive biblical insight, teaching highlights, and exclusive resource offers designed to help you stay strong in your faith, all delivered right to your inbox. Signing up is quick and easy, and you’ll be glad you did. Go to connectwithskip.com and join the list today. That’s connectwithskip.com. Now, let’s dive into today’s teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig.
SPEAKER 01 :
Ephesians is all about God’s new society. We call it the church, but it was a revolutionary concept back then, especially among Jewish people. that God would take Jews and non-Jews and place them in the same group, tear down the barriers, tear down the walls of division, and make one new society. Now, Ephesus was an ancient city. It was an ancient Greek city before it was taken over by the Romans, Alexander the Great. way back when liberated the city of Ephesus. Later on, it was given over to the Romans. It’s an ancient city. And so Paul writes to believers in an ancient city, telling them they’re a new society. New society, a new group of people, new way of life, new relationships, new standards, new values, and a new family, a new family. A couple of weeks ago after church, we were talking with a small group and this one young gal said, I love coming to church. I love coming here. And I said, well, we share that in common. So do I. I’ve been here a long time and I still love being here. And one thing I noticed when I first became a believer, I had this sentiment that this was my new family. I love the family I grew up with, but there was tension growing up in my family because in a spiritual level. And when I got around fellow believers, we just tracked at a whole new level. And I felt more at home among my spiritual family at that time than even my physical family, mom and dad and brothers. And so Paul is painting this beautiful picture. He calls it the body of Christ in some of these chapters. But we’re a new society today. God’s new family, God’s forever family. But first, we have to know who we are, our identity, our spiritual identity. We are in Christ, a phrase Paul uses some 240 times in the New Testament, about 40 or 50 times in the book of Ephesians alone. We are in Christ, that’s our identity. We need to know who we are. We need to know what we have. And so the wealth of the believer, as we’ve told you before, is the first couple of chapters. So we need to know who we are, what we have, and then based on that, what we are to do with what we have and who we are. So we have doctrine. and duty. That’s how the book is divided, we’ve told you. The wealth, the walk, and the warfare of the believer neatly divides the book of Ephesians. Or doctrine, duty, and difficulty. Doctrine, who we are, what we have. Duty, what we do with what we have and who we are. Difficulty, the warfare of the believer. You need to learn how to fight and how to win spiritually, victoriously in the Spirit. Well, chapter 4 brought us to that second division, if you remember, the walk of the believer. So chapter 4 verse 1 begins with the idea that we should walk worthy of the calling with which we are called. And we told you last time and the time before that walk worthy means to weigh as much. That one side of the scale will equal the other side of the scale. So on one side of the scale… The name Christian, followers of Christ, that’s a lofty calling. On the other side of the scales, our walk, our behavior, our lifestyle. Though it will never be perfect, though it will never match up on our best day to that of Christ. He is our example. We should be following him. We should be, as we’ll see in a moment, imitating him. And when we do that, by God’s grace, our lifestyle is worthy of our calling. So the theme of chapter 4 and the theme of chapter 5 is our walk. He says you should walk worthy. Then he describes what a worthy walk is. A worthy walk is a walk in humility. Remember verse 2 of chapter 4, with all lowliness and gentleness, etc., Also, it’s a walk in unity. Verse 3, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There’s one body, one spirit, etc., etc., So it’s a walk in humility, a walk in unity. It’s also a walk in variety, or you could call it diversity, or individuality. That we all have individual callings and gifts that when put together in the large pot of the body of Christ, the church, it builds one another up. So he begins in verse 7 of chapter 4. To each one, grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. And he lists different gifts that are used in the body of Christ. So a worthy walk is a walk in humility. It is a walk in unity. It is a walk in variety. Also, it’s a walk in purity, we discovered last week, beginning in verse 17 of chapter 4. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the unbelievers, the Gentiles walk in the futility of their minds, etc. Don’t live like that. You’ve been transformed. Live like this. Now he continues the thought of the worthy walk. And in chapter 5, the theme is, at least in the first few verses, a worthy walk is a walk in charity. or a walk in love. And chapter 5, verse 1, is a beautiful, I would even call it a summary verse of all of the different kinds of descriptions of the walk. Humility, impurity, etc., etc. It all sums up very nicely in verse 1 of chapter 5. Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. You want to know how to walk? Walk like Jesus walked. Oh, I could never do that. Okay, I get that, but let him be your model. Imitate him, copy him. You remember when your son or daughter was quite young, I hope, when they did this? would copy everything that you would do. Sometimes they do that just for a joke. You know, you lift your hand, they lift their hand. You turn this way, they turn this way. You say something, they say something. It can be irritating. But, you know, they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Imitate God. And that theme, that sort of a principle theme throughout the Scripture, we have even seen it in our last study last Wednesday night. Look at the very last verse of chapter 4. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, here it is, even as God in Christ forgives. forgave you he did it now you do it you imitate what he has done be like him be imitators of God as dear children this idea of imitation as I said runs throughout the scripture all the way back in Leviticus God said be holy because I am holy like father like son like father like daughter Imitate what you see, what you know to be true of God. Therefore, and that sums up the walk, be imitators of God as dear children. And now is the walk in charity. Walk in love, verse 2. Walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. walk in love. Love is a mega theme in our culture, has been for a long time. Books are written about love, poems written about love, songs written about love, movies have the theme of love. And yet, though it is a common refrain in our culture and has been for some time, what I see it as is a longing to experience the true love that the world wants but still can’t find. Because as I look at the movies that describe love stories, I see a perversion of true love. And something they would love to experience, but they haven’t quite. So they reduce pure love down to more of a base lust. I want you. And even… The phrase making love doesn’t have any idea of sacrifice and reciprocation of value as much as just the basic sexual act. Hollywood has done that. I remember years ago, Josh McDowell telling me that most of the people he meets and has met in his life have two basic fears. Fear number one is they’ll never be loved again. completely for who they are. And fear number two, that they’ll never be able to give authentic love to another person. And he said what happens is with those fears, people will replace that with a very subservient, very subpar, suboptimal replacement for true love.
SPEAKER 02 :
You’re listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Every day, the generosity of friends like you helps make clear verse by verse Bible teaching available to people searching for truth, purpose, and hope. And this month, we want to thank you with a pair of powerful resources to help you understand your identity in Christ and God’s design for your life and relationships. When you give, you’ll receive the Expound Ephesians 9 CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip’s book, Beyond the Summer of Love. Together, these resources explore the richness of the gospel, reveal your place in God’s family, and show how biblical truth brings strength, restoration, and lasting hope to your relationships. We’ll send both resources as our thanks when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. Now let’s return to today’s teaching.
SPEAKER 01 :
So the world will cry out and clamor for love. But when you come to Christ and you realize, I don’t deserve his love, but he loves me anyway. He values me. He makes me his son. He makes me his daughter. He forgives my past. He is gracious to me. I don’t deserve it, but he lavishes benefits on me. It’s a whole, man, I remember that when I discovered that. It set me free to be able to love people unconditionally, sacrificially. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, the Bible tells us. So walk in love as Christ has loved us and given himself for us and offering a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. Now here is Paul writing to the Ephesians about the wealth, the walk, and the warfare of the believer. And when he comes to the walk and he describes the worthy walk in terms of humility, in terms of unity, in terms of variety and purity and now charity, I find it interesting that after Paul founded and pastored the church and went on, he was, of course, finally executed. He was 58 years old when he had his… head chopped off of his body in Rome or outside the city of Rome. And the city of Ephesus had several different pastors, one of whom was the apostle John. And John became the pastor of Ephesus. He was then taken away to Patmos. When he was about 95 years of age, he was still alive. He survived. Patmos was, history says, brought back to Ephesus where he spent his final years. And he was known as the apostle of love because the older he got, he, of course, the older you get, the more limited you are in your faculties and abilities to do things. anything and everything in life. And so John would often just be taken into the congregation and sort of propped up and even lifted up above the people so that they could hear his now soft elderly voice. And he would be lifted up and people would be listening to this aged, venerable, legendary apostle. And he would simply say, little children, love one another. That was it. That’s all he could get out. Little children love one another. Next week, they’d bring him into church and they’d have their service. They’d lift John up again and John would say, little children love one another. And they did this for a while until somebody just said, you know, you keep saying the same thing over and over again. You got anything else for us? And he said, here’s why. It is the Lord’s command. And if this only be done, it is enough. If all you ever manage to do is to love one another, everything else will take care of itself. Love one another. So I find it interesting, not John, but Paul, says walk in love just as Christ loved. Now, speaking of John, listen to the words of the pastor of Ephesus, John the Apostle, in 1 John 4, and they’ll tie it neatly together. This is John. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love doesn’t know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Same thought as Paul. In this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. So this lucky, not lucky, blessed church of Ephesus, getting as their pastoral lineup, how’s this? The Apostle Paul, Timothy, John. Then Polycarp, if you know your church history, also a heavyweight. Boy, they had it made. Go over to Ephesus today, though. It’s just ruins. It’s completely taken over by Islam. Good luck finding a church. So Jesus will later on write a little postcard in the book of Revelation written by John, but it’s inspired by God, to the church of Ephesus saying, you’ve left your first love. You don’t love me as much as you did at the first. And so when we truly love him, we’ll love one another and God will preserve that fellowship forever. So they eventually did go awry. But for the time being, he writes, walk in love as Christ has loved us and given himself. But now he pivots a bit and he gives us a list of activities, a list of sins that will stop the flow of true love. These will bottleneck the flow of love forever. in any group, in any relationship, but fornication, sex before marriage, outside of marriage, all uncleanness, perverse sensuality, or covetousness, wanting what you don’t have, and uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints, neither filthiness.” Nor foolish talking. Interesting word. It’s the word moros. We get the word moron from it. And the idea is stupid talking. Foolish talking is probably a little more palatable for most of our ears. Nor coarse jesting means double entendre. taking something simple that you hear and making it have an overtone of something sensual, coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather, this is what is fitting, the giving of thanks. If you have something to say, let it be good, let it be thankful, let it be pleasant, let it be edifying, not coarse, not blasphemous, not idolatrous, not covetous, but the giving of thanks. Now, There are, in the New Testament, three different lists like this. lists of sins that go against the Spirit, the bottleneck, the flow of love. One is found in the book of Galatians, chapter 5. One is found in the book of Galatians 6, here, and in Galatians 5, 1 Corinthians 6, and here. Those are the three lists. They’re very, very similar. For this you know, verse 5, that no fornicator… unclean person or covetous man, notice this, who is an idolater. He puts covetousness in the same category as idolatry. Why? Because you are elevating materialism over God. No fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ. and God. Those are some tough words. Now be careful, because what I read just described a lot of our past lives. But that’s the key word, past lives, not our present life. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, and such were some of you, not are some of you. This isn’t something you continually practice. So the idea here is this, an unrepentant, continual practice Behavior, lifestyle of disobedience in these areas. Don’t be deceived, he says in verse 6. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Don’t let somebody come and say, oh, well, you know, a lot of people do it. It’s normal in culture, normal in society. Don’t let anybody deceive you. God’s standard is God’s standard. It hasn’t changed. Therefore… Do not be partakers with them. So we’re to walk in humility, walk in unity, walk in variety, walk in purity, walk in charity. Now in verse 8, we’re to walk in the light, as we are told. We might, you know, to sort of keep the fancy little name thing going on, we are to walk in incorruptibility. That’s sort of the idea of walking in the light rather than in darkness. Verse 4, For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk, live, order your behavior, your steps. Walk as children of the light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness. Righteousness and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. When you were saved, whatever day, whatever evening, whatever moment that was, whatever church service or prayer you said that was a prayer of faith, the moment you took that step of faith, you in effect walked out of the realm of darkness and and you stepped into the light. And so the idea of walking in the light, incorruptibility. Now, in 2 Corinthians 4, let me read this to you. I’m finding parallel passages to all these. Paul writes this, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3, Even if our gospel is veiled, it’s veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest… The light of the gospel, of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We’re to walk in the light.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we go, remember, your generosity helps share God’s Word with people around the world, offering truth, hope, and encouragement where it’s needed most. And this month, we’d love to thank you for your gift of $50 or more by sending you the Expound Ephesians 9 CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip’s book, Beyond the Summer of Love. These resources will help you understand your identity in Christ and see how God’s design brings strength and restoration to your relationships. Give today at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. See you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.
SPEAKER 03 :
Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the crossing.
SPEAKER 02 :
Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God’s never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
